Sean Bradley

Art Studio

Light, pulled out of the dark.

Original oil paintings from New Hampshire

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About me

Light is what pulls me in. The way it glows out of a night sky or catches the crest of a wave, and the feeling that comes with it. That's what I'm chasing every time I sit down at the easel, and I'm still learning how far it can go.

It started with the northern lights. They're a little piece of magic we have in our world, and every once in a while here in New Hampshire we get the privilege of seeing them. The first time I did, they captivated me, and they still do. My aurora series, North Country Light, is where all of this began. It's the opening chapter, not the whole book.

With a white canvas, you're dropping something onto it. With black, you're pulling the image out.

Most of my night skies start on a black canvas. The light is hidden in there, and the work is coaxing it out one stroke at a time.

I'm a U.S. Army veteran of the 101st Airborne and a self-taught oil painter. I also make music. It's all the same impulse: find something beautiful and get it out into the world. If you love the way John Atkinson Grimshaw painted moonlight, you'll get what I'm after.

The work

Nebula Skies, green and gold northern lights over pines, oil on canvas
Nebula SkiesOil on canvas, 18 x 24
Magnificent Gold, aurora borealis oil painting
Magnificent GoldOil on canvas, 16 x 20
Fathom the Living Skies, night sky over the ocean, oil on canvas
Fathom the Living SkiesOil on canvas, 16 x 20
Break, a wave breaking on a rock, oil on canvas
BreakOil on canvas, 16 x 20

Originals, prints, and more in the Etsy shop. New work shows up first on Instagram.